From hospitals to board rooms, immigrants fill the labor gaps that are widening across the country. This episode gives a $1.3 billion reality check. We examine the complex relationship between a immigrants and labor, highlighting their crucial role across various sectors and the misguided narratives about the U.S. workforce. We speak with experts, success stories, and policymakers to shed light on how immigrant contributions fuel economic growth despite societal challenges.

Guests:

• Patricia Campos-Medina — Labor Activist/Educator, Executive Director of the Worker Institute at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, and 2024 Senate candidate.
• Jeanne Batalova — Senior Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute; Manager, Migration Data Hub
• Ramya Devan — Associate Professor and Chair of Economics, Stockton University
• Evelyn Saz — Lead Organizer, National Domestic Workers Alliance, NJ
• Andre Sayegh — Mayor of Paterson, NJ
• Farhanna Sayegh — Cross-cultural Communications Consultant, First Lady of Paterson, NJ
• Nicholas Montalto — NJ Business Immigration Coalition, Co-founder & Coordinator
• Shihab Kuran— Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Power Edison and Petra Solar
• Marisol Conde-Hernandez — Immigration Lawyer Peter Chen — Senior Policy Analyst, NJ Policy Perspectives

Hosts:

• Julie Winokur — Founder/Executive Director of Talking Eyes Media; Co-founder/Director of Newest Americans
• Tim Raphael — Professor in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media, and former Director of the Center for Migration and the Global City at Rutgers-Newark University; Co-founder/Director of Newest Americans